Dudley
He had never been good to his cousin, he never saw him as a brother, nor a friend, nor family, not even a person that deserves respect. He didn’t know why. His mom and dad treated him like trash or an abomination without giving him explanation. Even his relatives on his father’s side, never showed him even a bit of acceptance or love. He didn’t care at all…
He was raised the opposite by his parents. Ever since he was born, he was treated as the most essential treasure a man could ever have. They gave him all his needs. He can eat all the delicious food he wanted. He can ask them to buy him expensive toys or clothes. With his every tantrum, he can make them do whatever he asked for.
Unlike Harry Potter, his cousin, was orphaned as an infant, no one had ever showed him love or sympathy until he was 11 years old, and.. Dudley Dursley was guilty for that too..
When he was still a kid, he developed an unusual dislike to Harry. He even made his friends bully him whenever they see him. Their favorite past time was punching Harry. He remembered when he was six years old, his Aunt Marge hit Harry with her cane so that he will not defeat him in a contest for kids. She even let her dog chase the poor boy as he climbed up the a and didn’t stop it until midnight and he’s laughing out load for that. Their neighborhood knows little about his cousin for he spent most of the time in a cupboard. In school, he had no friends for whoever dare go near him and talked to him, will be bullied as well by his gang.
But…
During Harry’s eleventh birthday, his real identity was revealed. He was not normal as he had known but what surprised him was his parents knew it and hid it from him. He started to fear him, afraid to be turned into something. He avoided him as much as possible, even Harry teased him. His experience with the pig tail cast by a giant gave him trauma. He had undergone surgery just to remove it. Then… when Harry’s friends went to their house to get his cousin, aside from blowing up half of the living room, the twin with grin in their face purposely dropped toffee. He knew it, but who can resist a sweet toffee in times when he’s under diet as required. It’s not ordinary toffee for it made his tongue grow to three feet. It took an hour before his father let the thin bald man reverse the spell. Like his mom and dad, he hated him more.
Then, he saw Harry in a different way.
It was when the dementors attacked them. He can’t see them but can feel the cold and fear he’d never known his entire life….
During the attack, he had a flashback of his worst forgotten memory from childhood. It played in his mind all over again…
***********flashback*******
He was seven years old that time when the leaves from deciduous trees started to shed. His mom and dad took him out to the park together with Piers Polkiss, his closest friend in the neighborhood. They are having a great time while strolling and bullying some animals in the park when something strange caught his eye. There was a black shadow in a form of an unusual man that seems deadly sick, and after a great deal of pain, two crows flew out of his mouth and took wing but nobody sees it but him. He told it to Piers but he just laughed at him, he didn’t see it. With this… Dudley followed the shadow until he’d gone to a place he had never seen. It’s a peculiar place wherein people around wore black robes like in medieval times. He’s not aware of it at first for he was busy following the shadow.Then… he tripped on a branch. He looked again for the shadow but didn’t see it anymore. There, he only noticed that he’s not in the park anymore. He’s in a middle of a forest, as dark as night. The sight of it gave him a fright. He started to cower with fear and called for his mom or dad or Piers but nobody responded. He cried aloud and looked for someone else but there’s no one. Then… there was a sudden motion on one side of the forest.
“Hello?” he called for it, “Who’s there?”
It didn’t answer but moved closer… and… closer…and closer towards him…. Dudley was frozen like a statue, unable to move, unable to run, he can’t even scream. He can see it’s face as rotten as a dead body as it slithered and whispered….
“ People will die…. The dead will be awaken…. They, who robbed my innocence, my youth, my loved ones will get what is right for them… I will not stop until the end of time.”
This cold voice ringed into his ear a thousand times…. then…. there was darkness.
*************************************
(present, dementor's attack)
His soul was almost sucked by the creatures he can not see… the ‘dementors’ as Harry called them… then… unexpectedly, his cousin whom he bullied and didn’t even dare to care saved him.
He changed since then. He realized that his unusual dislike of Harry was all in all caused by his parents. He did not know what to feel. He liked his cousin living with them after all. He wanted to treat him like his brother and bestfriend but he’s afraid that his parents won’t agree with it. He saw the hatred and envy in their eyes.
He started to care for him. Despite of the bad things he’d done, Harry can leave him there.. but… He chose to cast a burst of thin silvery light and drive them away even if he will get himself into trouble. He saw in that moment, that Harry Potter is a good person and didn’t deserve the treatment they’re giving him.
When the war of the wizarding world started, Harry tried hard to convince his parents to accept the security his fellow wizards are giving them. His dad, didn’t believe it. It’s all a conspiracy, he said.
He knows what Harry is doing. His cousin didn’t want them to be caught up in the war. Who are they to not accept it. So, he decided to say yes. To let his parents see that he’s scared. In the end, they left with Dedalus Diggle and undergone the fidelus charm so not one of the dark wizards can find them.
During this time, he contemplated with himself that he needed to change. He will not be a kid forever. He may not like it, but his parents will not be beside him forever. During this time, he thought thoroughly what he want to be. He wanted to prove that he will be somebody. He wanted to be a doctor. So, he decided to study hard during this period. He applied for schools in America and took examinations. There’s lot of good schools in England, of course, but in order to learn in life, he wanted to be away from the comforts of home, and of course his parents. He wanted to live alone, providing his own money for his living and studies. It will not be easy, but it will teach him a lot.
“Mom, is there mail for me?” he asked Petunia one morning when he went down to eat breakfast.
“It’s on the table, Dudlekins” his mom responded while putting bacon into the pan.
Vernon look at him through the top of the newspaper he’s reading. “Is that the letter from the school you applied for?”
His mom stiffened, she really disagrees on this. With just the thought of living away from his baby boy, makes her heart break. “You know, you don’t need to apply for school in America. It’s too far. Who’s going to cook food for you, or prepare you clothes or give you warmth when you’re cold.”
“Mom.. I already told you… I’m not a kid anymore, I will learn somehow.”
“But…” there were tears in her eyes.
“Your mom is right, Dudley. There’s a lot of prestigious school here in England, I can pay for that.”
“Dad, it’s what I want. Please understand.” they’re being difficult, he thought as he opened the letter. It was sent from one of the prestigious schools for Medicine in New York. His face fell.
He was rejected. His score was not enough. After all the reading he had done, he still failed. But he didn’t give up. He studied thoroughly, he even attended tutorial class.. he was really determined.
First… Second…. Third try… nth time…. Failure… He almost lost all hope. He was in despair. The wizarding war was now over months ago yet he was still not accepted into the schools he was applying for.
“We told you, Sweetie. Why not just apply for school in London. That way, we can easily visit you.” said his mom one early morning while heavy rain falls.
Dudley didn’t respond. He didn’t want to admit that it might be a bad idea after all. Maybe, it’s not just for him or maybe, he was just fooling himself. He wasn’t good at school since then. All he knows was to bully fellow students who are smaller than him.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
They looked at each other. They didn’t expect someone to come but Petunia went to the door to see the unexpected visitor. She saw one of her neighbors, old Mrs. Figg. Petunia forced a smile. She was not close friends to the old lady. It was just for Harry, for having someone to babysit him whenever they go out, the reason she’s talking to her. But since Harry doesn’t live with them anymore, Petunia didn’t find time to talk to her.
“Sorry to bother you,” she started, “It’s just the mailman mistakenly put this letter in my mailbox.” she gave the letter and Petunia took it.
“Thank you, Mrs. Figg.”
“It’s nothing.”
Petunia then closed the door as the old lady walked away to her house. Her heart beats so hard upon seeing the letter. It’s from New York. Dudley saw it before she hid it in her pocket.
He opened the letter and a grin formed on his face….